Police: Fleeing car thief crashes into patrol car

A man’s attempts to flee police in a stolen car were thwarted when he crashed into the back end of a patrol car as he was speeding down a south Wichita residential street with his headlights off Sunday night, according to reports.

A man’s attempts to flee police in a stolen car were thwarted when he crashed into the back end of a patrol car as he was speeding down a south Wichita residential street with his headlights off Sunday night, according to reports.

The collision occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at Vine and 32nd Street South, near Seneca, according to a police report. Officers had been pursuing the car, which had been reported stolen, before calling off the chase.

An officer was still looking for the stolen vehicle when his patrol car was rear-ended by the stolen car as the suspect drove south on Vine, the report stated. The collision did not disable the stolen car, however, and the suspect left the scene with the officer in pursuit.

The 33-year-old driver was finally apprehended nearby in the 1400 block of West Calvert.